Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: The Iron-Blooded Duke
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Delac C. Bednicker.
The unparalleled genius born of the Bednicker Family, a name that is never omitted when discussing the strongest in the empire.
The achievements this man has amassed in his short life are, in a word, staggering.
He supposedly took his first steps just days after birth, held an iron sword before his first birthday, and beat an ogre to death with his bare hands at the age of four...
At seven, he had read every book in the family library and mastered its secret sword arts, and by ten, he had created a sword style of his own.
At twelve, he was granted special admission to the Imperial Academy, completing the entire curriculum in a single year before graduating.
Delac continued on this shocking, unconventional path, and at his first Blessing Ceremony, he received a staggering twelve Blessings.
Let me repeat: twelve.
Normally, receiving three Blessings earns you the title of a promising talent, and more than five makes you a genius. Seven or eight is a number so rare you could count the instances throughout history on one hand.
Even those who were slow on the uptake, or who had tried to deny Delac's talent...
At that moment, they were forced to realize he was on an entirely different level.
What was even more astonishing was that he received another nine Blessings during his second Blessing Ceremony.
No one knows the exact nature of all the Blessings Delac received.
But after that second ceremony, Delac stopped aging.
At least, his appearance remained frozen in time, that of a young boy.
His pursuit of strength, however, never ceased.
The following year, Delac officially inherited the position of Family Head. He then took the family, which at the time was inferior to the Goodsprings, and in just twenty years, elevated it to an equal, if not greater, standing.
Delac was particularly active in subjugating the Dark Cult.
If even the smallest clue was related to the cult, he would hunt it down to its very source and rip it out by the roots.
He didn't care how much time it took or what sacrifices were required.
Despite his position as Family Head, the Iron-Blooded Duke always stood at the forefront, slaughtering the heretics.
The Emperor himself praised his contributions and bestowed upon him a middle name, further elevating the family's prestige.
At last, Delac rose to the rank of Grand Duke, and because he was known as the most thorough and ruthless among them...
He came to be called the Iron-Blooded Duke.
* * *
[This man… could he be Kuset’s successor…?]
The Martial God, who rarely made his presence known unless it was for something significant, spoke the moment he saw the Iron-Blooded Duke.
[A formidable warrior… What a shame. If only I had a physical body, I would have tested his might myself.]
He wanted to fight him personally?
Was there any higher praise a god of martial arts could offer a warrior?
And yet, I wasn't particularly surprised. I just watched the Iron-Blooded Duke silently.
Perhaps deep down, I felt that if anyone deserved such a title, it was this man.
In my past life, he was the one who had instilled in me a literal mix of love and hate.
The one person I had wanted to be acknowledged by, just once. The one person who never did.
Looking at his face stirred a complex storm of emotions I couldn't put into words… but they were hardly the feelings one should have for their own father.
This sense of dissonance wasn't just because of the man's youthful appearance.
He looked as if there was hardly any age difference between us.
Because of that appearance, some even called him the Boy Duke, but…
Even if the Iron-Blooded Duke had looked like an old man, a monster, or even the very image of an ideal father…
I doubt I would have ever felt any fatherly connection from him.
"Family Head."
"If you reveal yourself now..."
I could see the elders letting out flustered voices.
This meant that the Iron-Blooded Duke's appearance was a scenario they hadn't anticipated either.
"It's fine."
The Iron-Blooded Duke dismissed their fuss with a single word and looked at me.
"Ruan."
"Yes."
"Ruan Bednicker."
*Why?* I almost retorted out of habit.
No matter who I was, in front of this man, I was in a "Did you think before you spoke?" state.
"Please speak."
"Why did you think I would be at the estate? From the way you spoke, you seemed absolutely certain."
"...It's the Blessing Ceremony, is it not? A national event that even the Family Head, however busy, cannot easily ignore."
"..."
"I predicted that even if you wouldn't stay for the full two weeks, you would at least be at the estate on the day of the ceremony, or the day before."
The Iron-Blooded Duke then asked, his eyes seeming to peer right through me.
"Is that the whole truth?"
"Actually, no."
I said, not avoiding his gaze.
"But as of now, there is nothing more I can say."
"..."
I don't know if I should call it fortunate or expected.
The Iron-Blooded Duke was incredibly perceptive.
"All of you, leave."
"What? But—"
"..."
The Iron-Blooded Duke didn't press them, simply remaining silent.
The Council of Elders flinched, then bowed their heads slightly and departed.
I could sense a hint of dissatisfaction from them.
Even in my past life, the relationship between the Iron-Blooded Duke and the Council of Elders was never good.
Still, it seemed no elder would dare to openly defy him.
In any case, the presence of the Council of Elders vanished from the room in an instant.
Around this time, the darkness that had enveloped the room began to fade, and the surroundings brightened as if a soft light had been turned on.
"Sit."
Where?
After a moment's thought, I sat on the small table where I had placed the dagger and the note earlier.
Now that I was on it, the low-set table felt somewhat like a round stool.
"So, the truth?"
"..."
Before answering, I took in the sight of the Iron-Blooded Duke.
His presence was truly formidable, I realized anew.
I understood perfectly why my past self couldn't even squeak in front of him.
But I also noticed something different from before. In the past, I had thought the Iron-Blooded Duke intentionally created this atmosphere.
In other words, I believed he was deliberately exuding an intimidating aura, but now I saw that wasn't the case.
This was an atmosphere he radiated naturally, without intention.
Meaning, the Iron-Blooded Duke had no intention of pressuring anyone.
Just realizing that small fact made my heart feel lighter than it ever did in my past life.
"Did you happen to hear the entire conversation between myself and the Council of Elders?"
"I did."
"Then you must have heard about the assassins as well."
"I did—but what does that have to do with anything right now?"
"..."
I stand corrected.
Even without any intent to intimidate, this man could shape the atmosphere according to his mood.
In terms of mastery, he had reached the zenith of projecting his will—a stage that even I, after ten years of training on Spirit Mountain, had not yet reached.
I rubbed the back of my neck to ease the tension.
"About the fact that there's a rat in the Bednicker Family... you've known about it for some time, haven't you, Family Head?"
"..."
"But you wouldn't have announced it publicly. Only a very select few within the family would know, and in that situation, you would have hidden your own whereabouts. You've done so often, so it wouldn't have raised any suspicion."
In truth, half of it was pure speculation...
But showing any hesitation would only lose me points, so I spoke with a tone of certainty.
"And in reality, you've likely been staying here at the main estate, searching for the rat. The Blessing Ceremony is one of the few occasions when the main house is open to outsiders. That means it's an opportunity valuable enough for the rat to risk infiltration—"
"..."
The Iron-Blooded Duke showed no reaction.
He did shift his posture mid-sentence, resting his chin on his hand.
But his expression remained devoid of any discernible emotion to the very end.
*'Just react, damn it.'*
For all I knew, my entire theory could be wrong, and he might have just been hiding among the elders because it looked fun.
I didn't know the truth either.
I had never faced an opponent like this before, and frankly, it was disconcerting.
Just then, the Iron-Blooded Duke spoke abruptly.
"Most of that is speculation."
"...That may be so."
"Right."
The Iron-Blooded Duke looked at me and changed the subject.
"If you stopped by the Jewel Mountains."
"Yes."
"Did you happen to meet Kaljak?"
I was slightly surprised.
So the Iron-Blooded Duke knew where Kaljak was.
"How did you know?"
"A hunch."
"..."
"To be precise, a sixth sense."
Ah. A Blessing.
"Is Kaljak doing well?"
I paused for a moment before speaking.
"The situation is a bit complicated."
"What do you mean?"
"...Well, what happened was..."
I told him most of what I had experienced in the Jewel Mountains.
Being chased by the assassins, entering the giant cave, Kaljak's appearance at the critical moment, the subsequent subjugation of the Jewel Beast... and finally, the High Priest revealing himself at the last second.
I only omitted one thing.
The part about the Martial God.
"..."
After hearing the whole story, the Iron-Blooded Duke fell silent.
"You subjugated the Jewel Beast."
"Yes."
The Iron-Blooded Duke was quiet for a moment, then suddenly nodded.
"I see. Very well. You may leave."
"What?"
The Iron-Blooded Duke closed his mouth as if he had nothing more to say.
How he had taken my words, what would happen now, whether I would truly be punished, what would happen with the Blessing Ceremony...
He said nothing about any of it.
He simply averted his gaze from me, like someone who had lost interest.
'...'
Could I consider the crisis averted?
I didn't know.
The funny thing was, the moment his gaze left me, I felt a wave of relief.
At the same time, I was glad I could leave this place.
But more than that relief or gladness...
'...'
My pride had been dragged down to the very bottom of a mud pit.
For some reason, I felt that if I left right here, right now, nothing would be different from my past life.
Of course, I hadn't been collected by Keian, I had learned the Flame Arts of the Greatest, and I had even subjugated the Jewel Beast.
I had met the Martial God, obtained the Seven Sins Sword, and even smacked that bastard Hector, whom I'd always hated, on the back of his head.
These were achievements incomparable to my past life.
But...
If I couldn't gain the Iron-Blooded Duke's acknowledgment, what was the point of any of it?
"Father."
I didn't get up. Instead, I glared at him and spoke.
The Iron-Blooded Duke's eyes turned back to me.
There wasn't a trace of killing intent, yet they felt chilling.
As far as I knew, out of his many children, only three ever called the Iron-Blooded Duke 'Father'.
In fact, in my past, I had never once called this man father.
But in this moment,
I deliberately called the Iron-Blooded Duke 'Father'.
"Let's make a deal."
To make him accept what I was about to say,
I had no choice but to appeal to whatever literal sliver of affection remained.
* * *
The Iron-Blooded Duke was silent for a long time.
The only difference was that throughout the silence, his gaze remained fixed on me.
I didn't look away.
The pressure was immense, but thinking of my Master made it somehow bearable.
Then, the Iron-Blooded Duke spoke.
"A deal, you say."
"Yes."
"Hmm."
Depending on the person, my words could have been considered quite rude...
But the Iron-Blooded Duke wasn't the type to obsess over etiquette.
He simply tilted his head and said.
"What kind of deal?"
I sighed inwardly.
Why was it so hard to hear him say just that one thing?
"First, there's something I haven't told you. Among the traitors from the Fang Knights, Osel was a fairly high-ranking member."
"High-ranking?"
"Yes. I have a map I took from him. If we decipher it, we should be able to find the cult's base in the mountains."
"..."
For the first time, the Iron-Blooded Duke's expression changed.
It was only natural.
The most important thing to this man was the eradication of the Dark Cult. He wasn't called the Executioner for nothing.
"The number of assassins I saw in the mountains, and the presence of a High Priest. The base they've established there cannot be a small one. It might even be a major stronghold."
"Mm."
I tucked the map back inside my clothes for the time being.
"Father, I need you to spread a small rumor for me."
"A rumor?"
"That 'Ruan Bednicker' killed cult assassins in the mountains and subjugated the Jewel Beast."
I said, wringing my hands.
"I will be the bait."
"..."
"There are still cult spies left in the family. They'll know the identities of Osel's group. Perhaps they even know about this map. They will approach me, either to retrieve the map or to figure out what happened."
"I wonder. No matter how bold the mastermind is, would they dare try anything foolish at the Bednicker main estate?"
"They wouldn't for anyone else. But I'm Ruan Bednicker, am I not? The troublemaker youngest son, who is known to have been practically abandoned by the family."
For a moment, our gazes locked in mid-air.
Surprisingly, it was the Iron-Blooded Duke who looked away first.
"I see. A useful trap, indeed. Then what do you want in return?"
I thought of the Seven Sins Sword in the room and said.
"There is one thing I wish to ask you. Not now, but later."
"A question."
After a moment's thought, the Iron-Blooded Duke spoke.
"Very well. Whatever the question, if it is something I know, I will answer it without fail."
"..."
"Separately, if you wish to participate in the Blessing Ceremony, you may. Of course, the opposite is fine as well. Whatever you choose, there will be no troublesome chatter from the family."
This was a man who always kept his word.
From now on, family officials like the Collector would likely no longer bother me.
The same went for the Council of Elders.
"I intend to participate in the Blessing Ceremony."
I meant it.
To be blunt, I was curious.
I wonder, even now that I've regressed...
will I still fail to receive a single Blessing?